Who Should be Aston Villa Manager ? Now with new, revised poll

[Greg N'Ash]

"As if one Manager sends a bigger ambition signal than another..."

of course they do. If you choose a manager who's won things, has experience at the highest level and is well respected then it obviously does show more ambition than Joe Bloggs who's managed a few years in the championship. Sorry but thats how it is in football as in most things and if the General doesn't realise that, he's wildly out of his depth.

[Toronto Villa]

"As if one Manager sends a bigger ambition signal than another..."

of course they do. If you choose a manager who's won things, has experience at the highest level and is well respected then it obviously does show more ambition than Joe Bloggs who's managed a few years in the championship. Sorry but thats how it is in football as in most things and if the General doesn't realise that, he's wildly out of his depth.

don't they all want to win things though? Why would Benitez's ambition be any more than McClaren or Hughes. Just because Benitez has won the big prize, doesn't mean that Hughes wouldn't want to, or even Martinez for that matter. They are all going to say they are ambitious. I'm sure when Alex Ferguson arrived at Man U he stressed how ambitious he was and in time he achieved those goals.

[mr woo]

The General is spot on.

Some people think hiring staff (in any profession) must be a five minute 'you'll do' affair. Anyone with experience will know that it isn't. Let alone identifying, locating, negotiating, wooing and legalising the contract of a top class football manager. It's a shame he feels the need to ask us to show patience and understanding.

I trust the board to get the right man, the best within our means, to progress the club forward.

[TheSandman]

What I choose to read in to that is that we remain ambitious but we have had no joy in finding a manager who would scream ambition out to some of the press pack and our more excitable supporters. I don't know why this is but it may not be completely down to our ambitions.

I think the big indicator will be the extent we support our new man. Would we be more ambitious if we had Ancelotti and gave him no money than if we had, say McClaren and gave him £50 million net? Of course the kind of manager we could attract might be a symptom of these ambitions but it is not a big clue. Good managers may be looking for the finished article of a club who already can boast CL football or have other unrealistic demands.

[TopDeck113]

It might not be what the people making the decision want to happen, but in the media and amongst the fans any managerial appointment (or player signed) is going to be scrutinised for signals of perceived ambition or intent.  That is the way of the footballing world and, as greg has said, anyone within the club who thinks otherwise needs at the very least a reality check. 

[Toronto Villa]

It might not be what the people making the decision want to happen, but in the media and amongst the fans any managerial appointment (or player signed) is going to be scrutinised for signals of perceived ambition or intent.  That is the way of the footballing world and, as greg has said, anyone within the club who thinks otherwise needs at the very least a reality check. 

I think they realize that. They also realize that whatever they do they cannot control what is said or written about them. What his statement to me says is that they are going to go about the business of finding a new manager on their terms, and will not be dictated to or swayed by the biases, timeframe or expectations of the press or fans.

[Tuscans]

ARTICLE FROM THE INDEPENDANT, pretty fair in my opinion.

Why Villa are forced to look for their new boss on the cheap

Lerner, having invested £180m, decided that enough was enough

They did not succeed, but when you examine their finances it is easy to understand why Aston Villa decided to pursue Roberto Martinez as their new manager in preference to Rafael Benitez and Mark Hughes.

This week's Deloitte report into football club spending laid bare the high price that Villa's owner Randy Lerner paid in attempting to break into the Champions' League bracket. The imminent departure of Ashley Young to Manchester United for £21 million underscores the fact that he has abandoned that mission.

The American bought Villa for £62m in September 2006. The previous season the club had a revenue of £49m, a wage bill of £38m (76 per cent of income), and had lost nearly £10m, two-thirds of which represented their net loss on transfers. Under David O'Leary they finished 16th.

Lerner set about lifting the club back into the top eight, where they had spent most of the previous decade. That season Martin O'Neill oversaw an improvement to 11th. A year later, Villa came sixth and made £5m profit before transfers as revenue increased to £75m. Wages were a healthy 67 per cent of turnover.

Everything looked very promising. Lerner had even won over the fans with some well-appreciated gestures like refurbishing the pub behind the Holte End. It was time to think big and challenge for the Champions' League.

However, making that next step proved very difficult. In the next two seasons revenue was increased to £91m, but wages rose faster to reach £80m (88 per cent of revenue). There was a net transfer spend of £58m, taking total losses to almost £100m. On the pitch Villa stood still, finishing sixth twice more, winning plaudits but falling away each season despite O'Neill sacrificing Uefa Cup campaigns.

Meanwhile, Manchester City had been taken over by a Sheikh whose oil wealth far outstripped Lerner's. City, spending £210m in transfers in that period, overtook Villa. So did Tottenham, their £49m two-year transfer spend and £20m per annum larger wage bill underpinned by a commercial operation which produced profits, after those wages had been paid, of £41m across those two seasons.

Lerner, having invested some £180m, decided enough was enough. Last summer transfer dealing was minimal, and turned a profit. Villa sold James Milner for £26m and bought Stephen Ireland for £8m. On the eve of the season, as these deals were being prepared, O'Neill walked out, apparently because he was unhappy that he could not re-invest all the Milner fee.

Tellingly his replacement was Gérard Houllier, a coach known for developing young talent, of which Villa have an excellent crop. True, Houllier was then given £24m to buy Darren Bent, but that was because Villa were suddenly in very real danger of relegation. Transfer dealing this summer is likely to be with a view to turning a profit, starting with Young's departure.

With Houllier's ill-health having forced his exit, Lerner is seeking a manager with a reputation for developing teams on tight budgets. He may now be thinking of an exit strategy, or he could just bide his time, waiting to see what impact Uefa's Financial Fair Play has on fees and wages.

Is it any wonder that owners, increasingly, see FFP as their saviour?

[PaulWinch again]

Encouraging words from the General, I'm sure we'll sort it properly.

[Mazrim]

To sum up the generals post. As I read it anyway...

- Ignore media, they know fuck all.
- Seeking best man for the job, not neccessarily a "name" simply to please people (not that the name will not also please people but its not a priority).
- Randy will back said man as always.

I think thats all fair enough.

[Greg N'Ash]

rt

"As if one Manager sends a bigger ambition signal than another..."

of course they do. If you choose a manager who's won things, has experience at the highest level and is well respected then it obviously does show more ambition than Joe Bloggs who's managed a few years in the championship. Sorry but thats how it is in football as in most things and if the General doesn't realise that, he's wildly out of his depth.

don't they all want to win things though? Why would Benitez's ambition be any more than McClaren or Hughes. Just because Benitez has won the big prize, doesn't mean that Hughes wouldn't want to, or even Martinez for that matter. They are all going to say they are ambitious. I'm sure when Alex Ferguson arrived at Man U he stressed how ambitious he was and in time he achieved those goals.

Hey, make me manager then. I want to win things for the villa, and i'm ambitious. I'm sure Martinez is as well, Grayson, Mclaren, Wimbledon AFC's manager etc.. etc.. It's about the clubs ambition, not the manager's. Its nice to know from the General that Randy will back whoever he appoints with money but for the love of god give the money to someone with a bit more about him than ambition - ability, experience and a reputation of actually doing the job at the required level would be a start

[PaulWinch again]

That article in the Independant seems to be very speculative and basically trying to make a guess as to what Randy's thinking. I suspect it's well off.

[Toronto Villa]

rt

"As if one Manager sends a bigger ambition signal than another..."

of course they do. If you choose a manager who's won things, has experience at the highest level and is well respected then it obviously does show more ambition than Joe Bloggs who's managed a few years in the championship. Sorry but thats how it is in football as in most things and if the General doesn't realise that, he's wildly out of his depth.

don't they all want to win things though? Why would Benitez's ambition be any more than McClaren or Hughes. Just because Benitez has won the big prize, doesn't mean that Hughes wouldn't want to, or even Martinez for that matter. They are all going to say they are ambitious. I'm sure when Alex Ferguson arrived at Man U he stressed how ambitious he was and in time he achieved those goals.

Hey, make me manager then. I want to win things for the villa, and i'm ambitious. I'm sure Martinez is as well, Grayson, Mclaren, Wimbledon AFC's manager etc.. etc.. It's about the clubs ambition, not the manager's. Its nice to know from the General that Randy will back whoever he appoints with money but for the love of god give the money to someone with a bit more about him than ambition - ability, experience and a reputation of actually doing the job at the required level would be a start

do you honestly think those qualities are being dismissed? Do you think that all successful managers started off successful, or did some of them build their reputations given the right environments? You make it sound so easy.

[adrenachrome]

ARTICLE FROM THE INDEPENDANT, pretty fair in my opinion.
...

Meanwhile, Manchester City had been taken over by a Sheikh whose oil wealth far outstripped Lerner's. City, spending £210m in transfers in that period, overtook Villa. So did Tottenham, their £49m two-year transfer spend and £20m per annum larger wage bill underpinned by a commercial operation which produced profits, after those wages had been paid, of £41m across those two seasons.

villadawg? villadawg?

[Tuscans]

When you hear words like that from "The General" I kinda fell a warm miracle inside knowing everyhting will be ok now. 

[Mazrim]

FROM THE INDEPENDANT, pretty fair in my opinion.

Why Villa are forced to look for their new boss on the cheap

Lerner, having invested £180m, decided that enough was enough

No he hasnt.

They did not succeed, but when you examine their finances it is easy to understand why Aston Villa decided to pursue Roberto Martinez as their new manager in preference to Rafael Benitez and Mark Hughes.

Says who? Martinez was not offered the job as was one of several potential candidates.

This week's Deloitte report into football club spending laid bare the high price that Villa's owner Randy Lerner paid in attempting to break into the Champions' League bracket. The imminent departure of Ashley Young to Manchester United for £21 million underscores the fact that he has abandoned that mission.

Bollocks. Young was offered a huge contract to stay.

The American bought Villa for £62m in September 2006. The previous season the club had a revenue of £49m, a wage bill of £38m (76 per cent of income), and had lost nearly £10m, two-thirds of which represented their net loss on transfers. Under David O'Leary they finished 16th.

Lerner set about lifting the club back into the top eight, where they had spent most of the previous decade. That season Martin O'Neill oversaw an improvement to 11th. A year later, Villa came sixth and made £5m profit before transfers as revenue increased to £75m. Wages were a healthy 67 per cent of turnover.

Everything looked very promising. Lerner had even won over the fans with some well-appreciated gestures like refurbishing the pub behind the Holte End.  It was time to think big and challenge for the Champions' League.

However, making that next step proved very difficult. In the next two seasons revenue was increased to £91m, but wages rose faster to reach £80m (88 per cent of revenue). There was a net transfer spend of £58m, taking total losses to almost £100m. On the pitch Villa stood still, finishing sixth twice more, winning plaudits but falling away each season despite O'Neill sacrificing Uefa Cup campaigns.

Meanwhile, Manchester City had been taken over by a Sheikh whose oil wealth far outstripped Lerner's. City, spending £210m in transfers in that period, overtook Villa. So did Tottenham, their £49m two-year transfer spend and £20m per annum larger wage bill underpinned by a commercial operation which produced profits, after those wages had been paid, of £41m across those two seasons.

Lerner, having invested some £180m, decided enough was enough. No he didnt, MON did. Last summer transfer dealing was minimal, and turned a profit. Villa sold James Milner for £26m and bought Stephen Ireland for £8m. On the eve of the season, as these deals were being prepared, O'Neill walked out, apparently because he was unhappy that he could not re-invest all the Milner fee.

Tellingly his replacement was Gérard Houllier, a coach known for developing young talent, of which Villa have an excellent crop. True, Houllier was then given £24m to buy Darren Bent, but that was because Villa were suddenly in very real danger of relegation. Or was it because we needed a fucking striker. Transfer dealing this summer is likely to be with a view to turning a profit, starting with Young's departure. We'll see.

With Houllier's ill-health having forced his exit, Lerner is seeking a manager with a reputation for developing teams on tight budgets. He may now be thinking of an exit strategy, or he could just bide his time, waiting to see what impact Uefa's Financial Fair Play has on fees and wages.

Is it any wonder that owners, increasingly, see FFP as their saviour?

No more insightful than any other bollocks that's written at the moment.